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MA Sound Design for Video Games

If you have a strong interest in video games and a background in music or audio, then this master’s degree course will give you the skills you need to work as a sound designer in video games. As a career it’s both creatively fulfilling and technically challenging. Creating audio worlds, storytelling with sound, finding innovate technical solutions to creative problems is what this postgraduate degree course is all about.

This is an online course offered by ThinkSpace Education in partnership with the University of Chichester. This means students can study for their Master’s degree anywhere in the world.

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Entry Requirements

Applicants should have a first degree.

If you don’t have a music degree, then other experience can be taken into account, including work-based experience of making music, professional development courses and first degrees in other subjects.

This RPL, as it’s known, is always assessed on a case-by-case basis. It also depends in part on how many other students in the cohort are using this route, as there is a maximum percentage of students we can take through this process.

We expect you to have a good, solid knowledge of one computer based DAW like Logic, Cubase, or Digital Performer.

You need to write music fluently and productively.

You should be able to produce roughly two minutes of music in a day.

Your demos should be of good quality and we are happy to listen to your music and give you an opinion on this before you apply.

A high level of music theory is a big advantage but we appreciate there are many different ways to great a great score and you will be judged principally on the potential shown in your portfolio.

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Course content

The course has been developed in close consultation with the industry so we know we are teaching you the skills your future employers want you to have.

It’s a strongly project focused course and you will develop an effective workflow, remote working and collaboration and a clear understanding of what’s expected of a professional member of the game audio team.

You need to be technically literate and learn software easily.

This course does not require you to learn to code but you will be developing a powerful combination of creative and technical abilities that are market-focused.

Working in games is all about finding new ways of doing things and creative problem solving. This postgraduate course accurately reflects the working life of a games composer working as part of remote working team.

All your tutors are working professional video game sound designers.

You will work on a inspiring range of games, including commercial releases, provided as part of your course materials.

You will learn not only how to create inspiring interactive sound but also how to implement your audio inside the game using industry standard middleware like FMOD and WWise.

Whether you are a composer looking to increase your chances of employment or an audio professional with a passion a for sound design, our MA will bring you real-world professional tuition you need to lay the solid foundations of a career in video game sound design and audio.

Working specifically on creating great audio for video games, you will be tasked with recording, manipulating and implementing audio using the same tools you will be expected to use in the industry.

Sound Design for Video Games students are trained in the practical audio of games such as foley, dynamic game states and the many technical challenges that face professional sound designers working today.

Whilst you will learn how to edit music for video games, Sound Design for Video Games students won’t be assessed on their own compositional skills.

Indicative modules

GAME AUDIO TECHNOLOGY

You start with an intensive course in audio middleware that you will use to implement your music in the game. You will also learn about memory budgets, CPU restrictions, game engines, different platforms and version control. There is information on who does what and how game audio teams are put together.

RESEARCH SKILLS

A rich and rewarding module that is closely tied to the practical projects. Designed by leading game music academic, Dr Tim Summers, this module leads you deeper into the conceptual thinking surrounding games. It gives you the research tools to reflect on your own work and to draw more meaningful conclusions about the nature, structure and future of video game audio and music.

FOUNDATIONS OF GAME SOUND DESIGN

Your first practice based module and you’ll be creating sound for a range of puzzle games, an infinite runner and a simulator. It’s all about learning to work to a brief and finding a creative space inside the game aesthetic. You’ll be learning about atmos loops, spot FX and dealing choosing and implementing music. The business focus is on one of the fastest growing and most accessible sectors, mobile and handheld gaming.

SOUND AND THE MOVING IMAGE

Trailers and cut-scenes are an essential part of the gaming experience. This module looks at how to create stylized textured sound to picture. You will also learn music editing so you can take pre-existing tracks and incorporate them into the cut scene or trailer. We have a wide selection of cut scenes and trailers to work on including the triple A title Red Bull Air Race and the multi-award winning Armello.

INTERACTIVE AUDIO 1

You will learn many of the fundamental tools of the sound designers trade from foley to idles, weapon and machine sounds to vehicles and impacts. All of this you will implement using middleware inside specially selected game levels. As with the music, you will be learning both to create engaging and distinctive sounds and how to implement the audio interactively inside the game. The business focus is on working with very small indies, those bedroom developers who can go on to great things.

INTERACTIVE AUDIO 2

How do you create the sound of a 3D world? What are the implications of VR and AR for game audio? In this module you learn how to create the sound and implement the audio to bring 3D worlds to life. You will learn more about parameters and game states and find different ways of approaching the same problem. The business focus is on working with medium sized indies and small teams.

ADVANCED GAME AUDIO 1

This module brings together all the individual techniques you have learnt so far. You will be applying the problem solving skills you have been developing and following a complete project workflow through from start to finish. We look at the world of the AAA games, the workflows and what it takes to work as part of the audio team on a big title.

ELECTIVE

In addition to Professional Development and Kontakt Programming, you can also choose to learn a second middleware Wwise, or further cement your core skills with Advanced Game Audio 2.

DISSERTATION

The dissertation is a substantial piece of work taking 12 weeks to complete. It will take the form of a major project or portfolio of smaller projects in which you create the sound and implement all the audio inside the game. You will also write a commentary on your work to explain your choices and problem solving strategies.

Teaching and assessment

Personal 1-to-1 tuition from top professional composers and sound designers.

Learn by working through projects. The workload is challenging but it’s only through hard work that you will truly reach the next level.

Additional Costs

Include Additional Costs:

Additional Costs

As a University of Chichester student you will be provided
with many
things to support you but there may be additional costs which you may encounter whilst
studying. The
information below will help you understand our provision and what else you need to budget
for.

What you can expect from us

All of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including,
lectures/guest
lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities.
You will also
have access to a wide range of support and services:

• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity;
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support
and careers
service;
• The general Library services are free for students and our e-resources are available
wherever you are.
However, you may become liable for fines if you don't return items on time;
• Open access IT spaces, wi-fi across the campuses and in the halls of residence,
AV equipment
to borrow;
• Access to support from our Careers Service;
• Disability and additional learning support;
• The Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language
skills;
• 24 hours a day security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you may need to consider:

• Accommodation and living costs;
• Text books (but do remember that our library is stocked with a large range of text books
for all
courses, as well as online resources such as industry journals, free of charge);
• General stationery and other supplies such as presentation materials;
• Photocopying and printing (note: a hard copy of each assessment to be submitted is
required);
• The library is charged for the Inter Library Loans service - we pass this cost on directly
to our
customers;
• Travel to, from and between campuses (note that the U7 and Number 50 bus services offer a
subsided
travel rate);
• Gym membership: check out our student membership packages, sports events, varsity teams,
information
about our new facilities and more on the Sport webpages;
• Dance / Theatre passes – these provide discounted entry to a range of
performances;
• Field Trips / Educational Visits – these are optional and do not have to be undertaken to
complete the programme.
Students make a contribution towards the cost (e.g. travel, sometimes
accommodation);
• If you require a Diagnostic Assessment for a Specific Learning Difficulty such as
Dyslexia, the
University may be able to assist you arrange this. You will be required to pay for this
assessment,
although some financial assistance may be possible from the University Hardship Fund.
Further
information is available from the Disability and Dyslexia Service. For more information,
please click here
• Graduation: It is free for the student to attend the ceremony itself. Graduands must wear
academic
dress. Academic dress, guest tickets and photography are additional costs payable by the
student.

We offer a number of scholarships and bursaries to students who are beginning their studies
at Chichester.
Our Finance pages provides details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition
fees.

Hardware and software

You will be uploading and downloading a large quantity of material so you should have access to a reliable broadband with a speed of at least 5Mbs or more.

We have found that the Google Chrome browser is the most compatible with the Adobe Connect webinar software we use which will also be an important part of your course.

All your assignments are uploaded through the Student Portal on our website. This can also be accessed with any standard FTP client, for example CuteFTP on a PC or Transmit on a Mac.

HARDWARE

You will need a computer, software and ancillary equipment (MIDI keyboard, monitors, hard drives both internal and external), Mac or PC, capable of producing professional quality music and audio, and recording equipment. This is the overriding principle and the following minimum technical specifications are given for guidance.

This is an intensive course with strict deadlines in order to mirror a real-world professional working environment. As such, students must be have acquired and be competent in the use of the minimum technical requirements prior to starting the course to get the most out of it. Students may be eligible for significant educational discounts.

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation):
We expect you to have a working knowledge of one computer based DAW:

Logic

Cubase

Nuendo

Sonar

Digital Performer

Reaper

Game Software:
You need to have a copy of the following programs but we do not expect you to know how to use them. The exact version number of this software is important, and the version we support may change. Full information on the current approved course software version is available when on the course. Both Unity and Fmod are able to be downloaded for free.